Following up his acclaimed outings 'Rooftop Stories' and 'Irrationalities', bassist and composer Petros Klampanis creates one of his most inventive musical settings to date with 'Tora Collective', his sixth album as a leader.

For Klampanis, who grew up in Athens, Greece surrounded by the confluence of Mediterranean and Balkan folk cultures, making music has always meant navigating cultural crossroads. With Tora Collective he puts traditional Greek music at the centre, even as he presents it from a bold new angle.

In addition to the two new originals "Disoriented" and "South By Southeast," Klampanis and his compact hybrid jazz/Greek folk ensemble interpret popular Greek songs such as "Xehor?smata," "Sibeth?ra," "Harikl?ki" and "Menex?des Kai Zoumbo?lia." These songs, Klampanis asserts, are "not just part of Greek cultural heritage or a fragment of the past, but also as part of the future: they live into the present, breathe into the 'here and now,' while constantly evolving in a dynamic state and in dialogue with contemporary music."

Described as "a formidable player and composer" (JazzTimes) and "a musician who has always spoken from the heart" (Downbeat), Petros Klampanis divides his time between Athens and New York.He has collaborated with artists such as Greg Osby, Jacques Morelenbaum, Oded Tzur, Arooj Aftab, Anoushka Shankar, Shai Maestro, Gilad Hekselman, Jean-Michel Pilc and Snarky Puppy, among many others.

His extensive list of performance credits includes Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, The Blue Note, The Kennedy Center, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA NYC), The Barbican, Glastonbury and Jazzahead. He has recorded six albums as a leader, meeting with major plaudits from NPR, JazzTimes, the Independent Music Awards and others.

Artists

Petros Klampanis (bass), Giorgos Kotsinis (clarinet), Thomas Konstantinou (oud), Kristjan Randalu (piano), Ziv Ravitz (drums), Areti Ketime (vocals), Alexandros Arkadopoulos (clarinet), Laura Robles (percussion), Andreas Polyzogopoulos (trumpet), Sebastian Studnitzky (trumpet), Giorgos Kotsini (clarinet)